Storage apparatus.



PATENTED JULY 7, 1903;

J. M. DODGE.

STORAGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION TILED APR. 30,1'903.

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No. 733,355. PATENTED JULY'], 1903. J. M. DODGE.

STORAGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED: APR 30. 1903.

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No. 733,355. PATENTED JULY 7, 1903, J. M. DODGE.

STORAGE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.-30, 1903.

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UNiTED STATES Patented July '7", 1963.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. DODGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE DODGE COAL STORAGE COMPANY, OF NAUGATUCK, CONNECTICUT, CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

STORAGE APPARATUS.

srnorricArioiv forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,355, dated July 7, 1903.

Application filed April 30, 1903.

To all whont it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES M. DODGE, a citinon of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Storage Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in that class of storage apparatus used for storing coal or other lump or granular material in bulk on a storage-floor, the sides of the pile formed being at or about the natural angle of repose of the material to be piled.

The object of my invention is to provide a comparatively cheap and effective apparatus for storing material in an elongated pile which may be of any length desired and which extends parallel with a track at the side of the pile. This object I attain by making the piling apparatus movable parallel with the longitudinal line of the pile and by making the means for feeding the apparatus, such as ahopper, movable with the apparatus.

This invention differs from the piling apparatus described in my former patentssuch, for instance, as the Patent No. 409,636, dated August 20, 18S9-in that the hopper into which the material is discharged before being conveyed to the pile is stationary in this patent, whereas in this instance the hopper is movable.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view illustrating my improved apparatus in connection with a pile of coal. Fig.

ratus in detail. Fig. 3 is a side View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is an end view. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view showing the hopper and a portion of the conveyer in section. Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing the mechanism for hoisting the car onto the frame. Figs. 7, S, and 9 are views of modifications of the apparatus. Fig. 10 is a view of an apparatus, showing an overhanging structure at each side. A

A is the piling-floor, which may be any suitable piece of ground, preferably leveled for the reception of the coal or other material to be piled.

a CL are tracks situated at one side of the floor and parallel with the longitudinal line Serial No. 155,062. (No model.)

of the pile to be formed. These tracks support the main frame B of the piling apparatus. Wheels 1) b, mounted on suitable axles carried by the frame B, travel on the tracks a a. The frame B has inclined extensions 13 at each side, the outer ends of these extensions being carried by wheels 1), which also travel on the tracks Ct to. In the center of the frame B is a hopper D. Tracks 0 c for the cars to be unloaded are mounted between the tracks a a, and run parallel therewith, and on the frame B and its inclined extension B are tracks 0', 'of the same gage as the tracks a and which rest directly over the tracks 0 0, so that a car-for instance, as indicated at C V on the tracks 0 ccan be drawn or pushed up one of the inclines B and onto the frame B directly over the hopper D, and its contents can be discharged directly into the hopper. By this means the frame, with the hopper, can be moved to any point along the tracks a C6. Carried by the frame B is an overhanging structure E, in the present instance in the form of a truss. The upper and lower members e e converge toward the upper end of the structure which supports the sprocketwheel f, around which passes the conveyer F, which in the present instance is of the endless type having flights. The conveyer passes around driving sprooket-wheelsf', carried by the frame B, and around guide-wheels f and f as indicated in Fig. 3. The wheel f is driven in the present instance by a train of gears and belting from an engine G of any suitable type, mounted on the frame B. This engine may be so geared as to move the frame B bodily along the tracks a a; but the apparatus can be moved by hand or by an independent shifting mechanism, if desired.

Directly under the carrying-run of the conveyer F is a trough I, which may be provided with gates t at intervals, which when opened will allow the material to pass through and discharge onto the pile. The gates can be made in the form of slides, as shown, or may be made in the form of a ribbon, as illustrated in the patent granted to me on the 17th day of February, 1891, numbered 446,436, or in some instances the trough may be dispensed with and the material conveyed directly over the surface of the pile to be formed, or the material may be carried to the end of the structure E and discharged.

In Figs. 4 and 6 I have shown means for hauling the car up the incline and onto the frame B. An independent engine G may be provided, having a hoisting-drum g, around which passes a rope g. Guide-pulleys may be used to properly guide the rope, and this rope can be attached to the car, and when the engine is set in motion it will haul the car up the incline to the proper position directly above the hopper D; but it will be understood that other means may be provided for transferring the car from the tracks ct a to the structure without departing from the main feature of my invention.

By the above-described apparatus I am enabled to form an elongated pile of coal or other material adjacent to a track and of any length desired, the longitudinal line of the pile being parallel with the track. The structure is comparatively light and economical to build. Theentireapparatusisself-contained, so that it can be moved to any point desired, it can be reversed so that it can pile on one side of the track and by turning the entire structure another pile can be formed on the opposite side of the track, or intervals can be left between the series of piles, or the apparatus may have an overhanging structure at each side, as shown in Fig. 10.

In prior types of piling apparatus the hopper was fixed,necessitatingapermanentstructure at the hopper, and if a pile of any length was desired a series of these permanent structures had to be built to form the pile; but by this invention a pile of any length can be made or piles at different locations can be formed with a single apparatus.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a modification of my invention in Which the permanent cartracks are on the same level as the tracks on the moving structure, the structure in this instance being mounted on wheels traversing tracks on each side of an elongated pit,which may be of a length equal to the extreme length of the pile to be formed. The hopper in this instance is carried by the moving piling structure in the same manner as shown in the other figures of the drawings, the pit being deep enough to allow the hopper and conveyor to move clear of any obstruction. In this instance the apparatus would have to be moved to the end of the pit, so that a car can be shifted ontoit, and then moved to the point Where it is to be discharged. It will also be understood that the structure maybe elevated, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, either on masonry or on trestle-work, above a por tion of the pile without departing from my invention. In this instance an endless-belt conveyor J is used as a substitute for the car. This conveyer passes around discharging-drumsjj, so situated as to discharge into the hopper D, the belt conveyer J being a length equal to the length of pile to be formed, and material is fed to this belt in any suitable manner.

The above-mentioned apparatus is fully set forth and claimed in an application for patent filed June 11, 1903, Serial No. 161,012.

While I prefer to provide the frame with inclined extensions 13" at each side, in some cases a single extension may be sufiicient, as the car can be drawn up the incline onto the frame and when empty backed off the frame 'onto the fixed tracks.

While I prefer to use a broad-gage track, as shown, for the piling structure, in some in stances the piling structure maybe mounted on the car-track and when the structure is shifted to the proper point it may be suitably braced.

I claim as my invention-- l. The combination in an apparatus for piling material, of a movable frame, a 110pper carried by the frame, guides on the frame for the means for feeding the hopper, and a conveyer on the apparatus arranged to receive material-from the hopper, substantially as described.

2. The combination in an apparatus for piling material, of a movable frame having a structure extending over a piling-floor, an endless conveyer carried by the structural extension, a hopper on the frame for feeding the conveyer, and guides on the frame for the means for feeding the hopper, substantially as described.

3. The combination in a piling apparatus, of a movable frame, a hopper carried by the frame, a conveyer, means for driving said conveyer, tracks on the frame above the hopper to receive a car which discharges its material into the hopper, the conveyor receiving material from the hopper and discharging ,it onto the pile, substantially as described.

4. The combination is an apparatus for piling material, of a movable frame, Wheels carrying the frame, said frame having an in clined plane at one end, a hopper on the frame, and a conveyer extending from the frame'over the piling-floor, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a piling-floor, a track at one side of the floor for the cars to be discharged, a movable frame extending over the said track, said frame having an inclined extension at one end, tracks on the extension and on the frame of the same gage as the tracks aforementioned, a fixed hopper directly under the said tracks on the frame, and a conveyer arranged to carry material from the hopper and deliver it over the pilingfloor, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a piling-floor, tracks at one side thereof for the cars to be unloaded, a frame arranged to move in a line parallel to the said tracks, inclined extensions on each end of the frame, a track on the extensions and on the frame alining with the fixed tracks so that a car can be transferred from the fixed tracks to the tracks on the frame, a hopper carried by the frame, and a conveyor for removing material from the hopper and transferring it over the piling-floor, substantially as described.

7. The combination of a piling-floor, a track at one side thereof, a frame arranged to move parallel with the said tracks, inclined extensions at each end of the frame, a track on the extensions and on the frame in line with the fixed tracks, a hopper on the frame below the track thereon, an overhanging structure extending from one side of the frame, a conveyer carried by the overhanging structure and arranged to receive material from the hopper and transfer it to a point above the piling-floor, substantially as described.

8. The combination ofapiling-floor, atrack on one side thereof, a movable frame having wheels mounted on the tracks and having inclined extensions at each end also having wheels mounted on the tracks, a hopper carried by the frame, a conveyer arranged to receive material from the hopper and transfer it to the piling-floor, a track for cars situated between the rails of the firstmentioned track, and rails on the frame and on its extensions alining with the fixed track, said track extending over the hopper so that a car can be shifted from the fixed track onto the track of the frame and its contents discharged into the hopper, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a piling-floor, a track at one side of the said floor, a frame having wheels mounted on the said track, said frame having inclined extensions at each end, a track for the car mounted between the rails of the first-mentioned track, a track oh its frame and its extensions alining with the last mentioned track, a hopper on the said frame, and a conveyer receiving material from the hopper, hoisting apparatus mounted on the frame, and a rope extending from the hoisting apparatus by which a car can be shifted from the fixed track to a track on the frame, substantially as described.

10. The combination of a piling apparatus, a piling-floor, a track at one side of the floor, a frame having wheels mounted on the track, inclined extensions on each end of the frame, a track carried by the frame and inclined extensions, a fixed track between the floor of the cars alining with the track on the frame, a hopper carried by the frame and situated below the track thereon, an inclined structure extending from the said frame, and an endless belt conveyor supported by the inclined structure, the return run of the said conveyer passing over the hopper, substan= tially as described.

11. The combination in apparatus for piling material,'of a movable frame having overhanging extensions at each side, conveying mechanism on the extensions,and a hopper for feeding the conveying mechanism, said hopper being mounted on the frame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES M. DODGE,

Witnesses: WILL. A. BARR, J os. H. KLEINa 

